Did Cousin Obama take his father’s land lightly?

US President Barack Obama is on his first African tour since his re-election and as expected, excitement is palpably up in the air. When the world’s only remaining super power comes calling, the continent must take notice.

And besides the wagging tongues on which nations are bestowed the honour of hosting President Obama, Africa must interrogate the import of the US leader’s whirlwind trip.

This must be done under the backdrop of claims that despite tracing his ancestry to Kenya, President Obama is yet to hit the heights of former President Bill Clinton or even President George Bush on his engagement with Africa.

In some quarters, he has been accused of giving the continent a cold shoulder, hence the ever rising influence of the Chinese dragon in Africa. And while in Senegal, President Obama pricked a largely raw nerve in Africa by calling for decriminalisation of same-sex marriages.

This in a continent still ravaged by abject poverty, basic sanitation-related diseases and corruption in high office. It is no wonder Senegalese President Macky Sall immediately rebuffed Obama’s call.

The White House should do more to appease a continent still crying out for rudimentary help, despite her unrivalled potential. Equally, African governments must shape up and engage the US leader intelligently, soberly and with the future firmly in mind.

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